One Long Meme (Part One)

Sunday Stealing again. Some of these questions assume that I would be eligible to date, which I am not, biut I'm answering them anyway in the spirit of the meme.

1. The phone rings. Who will it to be?

Lately, it's been a prerecorded message urging me to vote for one candidate or another. Thank Allah the primary was last Tuesday. Also, I love caller ID.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?

Generally. There are a couple waystations in the parking lot that I might use instead. In fact, when I see a shopping cart out in the street a few blocks away, and I'm heading to, or even near the grocery store, I'll walk it back.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?

Depends. Mostly a listener unless I'm asked or if I have something significant to say.

4. Do you take compliments well?

Depends. If it's something over which I have no real control over, such as my looks, then no; seems somehow superficial. If it's something I accomplished, then usually yes, but just don't overdo it.

5. Do you play Sudoku?

No. I sussed it out and decided that either I would find it too frustrating or too boring.

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?

Probably not. Likely would eat some lethal berry and die.

7. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?

Yes, and I did not enjoy it.

8. What was your favorite game as a kid?

I loved all sorts of card games: canasta (with my grandmother and great-aunt), 500 rummy, pinochle (with my parents), gin rummy (with my grandfather), bid whist (with my parents); that's pretty much chronologically how I learned. Also played Scrabble a lot.

9. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew she was married, would you?

Too complicated. Not worth it.

10. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?

Well, yeah, but it would break down in due course.

11. Do you like to pursue or be pursued?

Be pursued. I'm lousy at reading signals.

12. Use three words to describe yourself?

Curious, introspective, aural.

13. Do any songs make you cry?

Lots of songs make me cry. There are church hymns. The Barber adagio (about 6 minutes in an 8 minute version). Some old songs bring me back to a great moment. I had a whole coterie of songs that I would play when I had a romantic break up, including First Night Alone without You by Jane Olivor and Stay With Me by Lorraine Ellison.

14. Are you continuing your education?

Every day is an education.

15. Do you know how to shoot a gun?

I've only fired a shotgun once.

16. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?

Used to do at the Woolworth's all the time, when there WAS a Woolworth's.

17. How often do you read books?

I start and stop. Read for days at a time then not for a couple weeks.

18. Do you think more about the past, present or future?

Present. I remember the past well enough, and the future's just not knowable.

19. What is your favorite children’s book?

Bartholemew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss. Speaking truth to power. And oobleck is green.

20.What color are your eyes?

Bloodshot. Er, I mean Brown.

21. How tall are you?

5"11 5/8" when I got measured by my draft board.

22. Where is your dream house located?

I was kind of waiting for Bernie Madoff to give me one of his. Actually, I have no idea how to answer that. There are characteristics I'd like (movie viewing room for one), but I don't dream about houses. I think I'm a renter at heart, though we've owned our current house for nine years.

23. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?

Probably a folder with a bunch of CD-ROMs containing photos.

24. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?

This summer. Someone gave us a gift certificate. Before that, before we were married and that's a decade.

25. Where was the furthest place you traveled today?

To work via the Y.

26. Do you like mustard?

I love mustard. I use it on every sandwich meat except poultry. It goes into deviled eggs. Here's something revolting: when I was a kid, and I had to eat canned beets, I would put mustard on beets. It's not that I liked mustard that much; it's that I HATED canned beets, and at least the mustard would mask the beet taste.

ROG